Coming Together is a Beginning
by lilyleia78
Summary: Lorne/Parrish slash.  The story of how Parrish ended up on Lorne's team and in his life.
1. Chapter 1

**Coming together is a beginning**

"Lorne."

Lorne stiffened automatically at the sound of his name from somewhere behind him but relaxed when he recognized his commanding officer's voice. He was unused to having only one person on base outrank him, but Lorne liked and respected Sheppard. He thought in time they might even be friends.

"Major." Of course mutual respect and possible friendship were no excuse for completely ignoring your CO. Even a superior officer as laid back as Sheppard might take offense to that. So Lorne came to a halt and turned to face the Colonel, stopping just short of actually coming to attention.

"Good morning, sir," Lorne greeted formally as Sheppard came along side him. "Did you need something?"

Sheppard indicted that they should keep walking before he answered. "Yeah, lots of things. Mostly a muzzle for McKay and a some real aspirin. But in the realm of the realistic - I have a request."

"The doc in a mood? More than usual?" Lorne asked with sympathy.

"Yeah, and that brings me to my request. One of the botanists has been buggin him about the aborted mission to P3M-736. Paris?"

"Doctor Parrish? Yeah, he was pretty excited about saving Earth through the wonders of greenery until the dead wraith interrupted him."

"McKay has _requested_…" Lorne got the impression that request was a generous interpretation. "…that we 'shut the idiot up and let him go back to study the mutant greenery before Rodney's forced to do something drastic.' That's a direct quote in case your were wondering."

"I thought it might be, sir." Sheppard shot him a suspicious look but Lorne kept a straight face.

"So what do you say?"

"I'm not sure it's safe, sir. If the wraith have been following the Runner..."

"Ronon," Sheppard corrected sharply.

Lorne didn't take offence. He nodded and continued. "If they've been following Ronon they may return to that planet at anytime, especially since that's where his trail grows cold." There was no way Sheppard didn't already know this, but Lorne didn't mind the impromptu quiz. He was a new element and for all Sheppard knew he could have been sent to keep an eye on the new commander of Atlantis. He hadn't been of course, but it wouldn't have mattered to Lorne even if that was the SGC's intent. Lorne's loyalty was to what was best for the SGC in general and the City in particular. And what was best for Atlantis was to have Weir, Sheppard, and McKay at the helm.

As much as it pained him to admit to that last one.

"I agree." Sheppard said. Lorne had expected as much. "You think he'd be happy if we gave him another planet to study?"

Lorne shrugged. "Never met a scientist who couldn't be distracted by something new for awhile. But I've also never met a scientist who would let go of a project until they were satisfied."

"Yeah, like a dog with a bone." Sheppard spoke like a man who knew the pain of interrupting a scientist's pet project. Lorne's admiration for the man who volunteered to put up with McKay on a regular basis went up another notch. "Recommendations?"

"A small team could return to collect samples. If we stay close to the gate, maybe even take a cloaked jumper, we could be there and back with minimal risk."

"You want a team of marines?" More testing. Sheppard was way too smart for that question.

"No, sir. More people means a greater chance of attracting attention. A single gate team would make the most sense."

"Okay then, get together with Dr. Parrish and submit a formal mission proposal and we'll run it by Weir together."

"Parrish, sir?"

"Of course. Can't collect plant botany samples without a botanist. Besides, you said he handled himself well when you found the body."

Lorne nodded. "He called for me right away, didn't panic, and didn't fight with me when I made getting him to safety my first priority."

"Not panicking and not arguing are some of my favorite things in a teammate." Sheppard muttered darkly.

Lorne wasn't fooled. "I'm sure having Dr. McKay has its perks." He was going for gentle humor, but was surprised when the Colonel turned suspicious on him.

"What do you mean?"

Lorne didn't flinch, but only because Sheppard wasn't the first superior officer to address him with steel in his voice. "Doc's an expert on nearly everything according to him and an engineer to boot. That must come in handy in the field."

Sheppard visibly relaxed and offered a conciliatory smile in Lorne's direction. "Yeah, it does. I'd think a botanist would too - especially when you run into the alien sex pollen."

Lorne didn't want to outright contradict his commanding officer, especially right after whatever he'd said to cause the sudden cold tenseness of a few moments before, but... "There's never actually been an incident of alien sex pollen at the SGC."

"Not officially, no," the Colonel agreed. "But it's not exactly the sort of thing you write up in a mission report, is it?" Sheppard was all smiles and sly side-long glances and for the life of him Lorne couldn't figure out if he was having his leg pulled or not.

"No, sir. I guess not." Lorne finally answered because it seemed the Colonel was expecting some kind of response from him.

Sheppard raised his hand in an abortive gesture Lorne already knew well, he was being paged on the headset but was refraining from answering right away. "Okay, have the mission proposal on my desk by the end of the week," Sheppard said distractedly before he answered his comm. "What is it, McKay?" He rolled his eyes at Lorne and turned back the way they'd came. "I'm taking care of it now, don't get your panties in a bunch. It's not my fault the botany department now sees you as human: blame your girlfriend."

Lorne smiled and turned left - toward the botany labs - at the next intersection.


	2. Chapter 2

Lorne parked the jumper as close to the splash zone as he dared, so close that he'd only have to back up to return to the safety of Atlantis should things go badly. It was hard to imagine anything could when they stepped into the cool twilight of the planet and found all calm and quiet.

"Okay, Doctor Parrish, what exactly are we looking for today?" Reed looked up at the night sky, considering. "Or tonight, rather."

"Answers, Lieutenant. I want to start by getting some of those plants we saw just before I found the wraith. Do you remember where they were Major?" Parrish turned to him expectantly.

"Yeah, Doc, but they're a little far from here. Why don't we start closer and go after them if no trouble develops." Parrish looked vaguely disappointed, but agreed easily enough. Lorne conceded that Sheppard may have had a point about no arguing being an asset.

"So Parrish, we just rip them out of the ground and throw them in a baggie?" Coughlin asked seriously. Parrish rounded on him with an expression that revealed more horror than the discovery of the mutilated wraith had.

"No! Don't..." But Parrish trailed off when he realized the other man was teasing, and had, in fact, already began the careful digging required to reach the plant's roots.

"Just kidding, Doc. My grandmother bred roses. I helped her take samples and repot them all the time. I got this. It's brown-thumbs Walker you want to watch out for." He grinned and indicted the man next to Lorne who was eyeing the gardening equipment doubtfully.

Parrish and Lorne looked at him too and Lorne made a quick decision. "Coughlin and I will assist the doc. Walker and Stevens you take photos for Parrish's records and Reed, you watch our backs."

"Yes, sir." His men chorused as they set themselves to their tasks.

"Thank you, Major." Parrish's eyes and tone were warm as he thanked him and Lorne was grateful for the dark that hid the flush on his face.

"No problem, Doc." He bent down to gather some equipment for himself and asked where the he should start.

Six hours later they were dirty and tired and Coughlin swore his back might never recover, but they were all - even Parrish - laughing and joking and having a genuinely good time.

"Thanks guys," Parrish said as they loaded the last of the samples securely into the back of the jumper. "I couldn't have gotten all of this done without your help."

Reed slapped Parrish on the back companionably. "Anytime you need the four toughest babysitters slash gardening assistants in the Pegasus Galaxy, you just give us a call."

"Four?" Parrish asked what Lorne had been thinking.

"Yeah - me, Walker, Stevens and Coughlin. We just keep the Major around for decoration."

Their teammates broke out into (wholly unnecessary) laughter, but Parrish gave him a small sideways smile and said, "Oh, I think the Major's more than a pretty face."

Lorne caught the implied compliment - both of them - and squeezed the doc's shoulder in thanks before taking his team home.

After that Lorne started scheduling his team for a lot of botany missions when there was nothing more pressing to do. It was especially helpful to see a friendly face after a bad mission or to ease them back into things after an injury - real or psychological. Dr. Heightmeyer thought it was very healthy of him. But she didn't know that he also scheduled them to Parrish's missions when everything was fine just because he missed the way Parrish smiled over each new discovery.


	3. Chapter 3

Parrish was craning his neck above the crowd, obviously looking for someone, when Lorne's team met the botanists in the gateroom. It was a large group this time - maybe a dozen scientists in addition to his five men. But PR8-904 was a deserted planet that they'd been to multiple times without trouble, so Lorne felt comfortable with their 2 to 1 military to civilian ratio. When Parrish spotted Lorne his face split into a wide grin and he waved. Lorne nodded back with a smile that he hoped was more contained.

"Dial it up, Chuck," he ordered.

On the other side of the gate, Parrish hung back when the other scientists scattered. "Major Lorne," Parrish greeted happily.

"Hey, Doc. How's it going?"

"Good. We should see some exciting developments today if my theories are correct."

Lorne couldn't help but smile at the genuine excitement on the other man's face. It was one of the things he liked best about Parrish - his enthusiasm for plants in particular and life in general. "I can hardly wait." Lorne's mild sarcasm was lost on Parrish, but Lorne thought he kind of liked that too.

"You seem to be escorting a lot of these missions lately." Lorne couldn't deny that: he'd just hoped Parrish hadn't noticed that it was unusual. "Are you being punished?" Parrish asked. No such luck.

Lorne started to deny it, but the quirk in the corner of the doc's lips told him that Parrish was teasing, maybe even flirting a little. "Just protecting our most valuable assets, Doc," Lorne said, doing a little flirting of his own.

"Doctor McKay's not here." Parrish's tone was innocent, but Lorne saw the mischief in his face and laughed with a shake of his head.

"No, Doc, you." Lorne corrected. He hadn't meant to say it quite like that: he only meant to indicate all of the scientists in his charge. Flirting was one thing, but pushing it too hard was dangerous for them both. But Parrish was blushing and looking so pleased that Lorne let the statement stand.

"Are you following me, Major?" Parrish asked in his direct way, looking rather pleased with the idea.

_Screw it_, Lorne thought. He met Parrish's eyes evenly and said quietly. "Yeah, Doc, I think I am."

"Major..."

"Doctor Parrish, over here, quick!" A young scientist Lorne had never seen before was frantically waving Parrish over and Parish smiled apologetically at Lorne. "I better..."

"Yeah, better go before that kid hurts himself."

Parrish nodded but didn't move off right away. "Major, would... Did you want to join me for dinner tonight?"

Lorne wasn't sure why he was surprised by the offer. "Sure, Doc, I'd like that. Meet you in the mess around seven?"

Parrish smiled and nodded. "Seven works for me." He walked off to join his overly excited colleague, leaving Lorne to wonder if he'd just made a new friend or a date. And which one he preferred.

It was a pretty planet, quiet and green with no animals big enough to present a threat to his team or the civilians in their care. So when, after a few uneventful hours, Parrish expressed an interest in going deeper into the forest Lorne had no objections. He left Stevens in command and offered to be Parrish's private body guard.

"Sure, Doc, we can take a little walk in the trees," Lorne told him easily. "I'll follow you."

Parrish flushed and smiled at the reminder, and Lorne felt pretty good about putting that expression on his friend's face. He listened for an hour while they walked and looked at the forest and Parrish explained his latest theory. Lorne was feeling pretty good about his life.

That was, of course, when they heard the gunshots. Parrish startled when the relative quiet of the forest was shattered but didn't cry out, for which Lorne was grateful. He grabbed the collar of the doc's shirt and hauled him down to the ground quickly, partially covering the other man's body with his own.

"Was that a gun shot?" Lorne was relieved to note that while Parrish sounded confused and scared, he didn't hear any panic in the botanist's voice. He wasn't sure he had the energy to spare for calming down a hysterical civilian, especially one he might actually care about more than professionally.

"Yeah, Doc, it was." Lorne risked rising to a crouch for a look around, but he kept Parrish down with a hand pressed between his shoulder blades.

"Was it us - maybe the others ran into trouble?" Lorne shook his head before realizing that Parrish couldn't see the gesture with his face pressed to the ground.

"No, that wasn't a P-90. It sounded like a..."

"A rifle," Parrish speculated, "kind of." Lorne glanced down in surprise.

"Exactly." He didn't ask, but Parrish answered anyway.

"My father used to take me hunting."

Lorne was impressed. "Good ear, Doc." There was another spate of gunfire then, but it was further away this time. Lorne let Parrish get up to his knees and keyed the radio. "Lorne to Stevens."

"Stevens here, Major."

"Dr Parrish and I have just heard some gunfire. It sounds like it's moving away from our position and toward the gate."

"Affirmative, we heard it too."

"Get the civilians back through the gate and send a scout. We'll maintain our position until you've gained further intel."

"Copy that, Major." It was a tense ten minutes while they waited for the radio to flare back to life. "There's two small groups of Genii engaged in... I don't know what. I'd say they were playing war games except it looks like they're using live ammo."

Lorne chuckled without humor. "From what I've heard, I wouldn't put it past them. Are the botanists all back home?"

"Yes, sir, and we've secured the gate, although it looks like the Genii are planning on settling here for awhile. We saw them setting up camps."

"Great." Lorne said to himself before keying the radio back on. "Radio back to Atlantis and keep a low profile. Keep the gate secure but do not engage unless necessary. I'm going to wait until nightfall and see if I can find a safe way to bring the doc back."

"Copy that, Major. You keep our gardener safe and we'll keep the door open for you."

"Thanks, Lorne out."

"Major?" Parrish asked uncertainly.

Lorne sighed and stood up, reaching a hand out to help the doc to his feet. "It looks like we need a place to hole up for a few hours."


	4. Chapter 4

Lorne led them a couple of klicks away from the last known location of the Genii and found a spot he felt comfortable in securing. It had cover for them but also good visibility should anyone try to sneak up on them. Fortunately, it also had some very exciting plant life.

"Major!" Lorne automatically shushed the other man's excited shouts, and Parrish had the presence of mind to lower his voice. "Sorry. Will you look at this? It looks exactly like a _caesalpinia pulcherrima _I but this climate is way too dry for it to grow here..."

Lorne tuned Parrish out as he rattled on excitedly and pulled out his sketchbook and a pencil. He was tempted to sketch Parrish - he liked to draw faces that he found interesting - but most people didn't enjoy being sketched without permission. So he settled on recording the plant Parrish was so in love with instead.

"Major, that's amazing." Parrish's voice held a gratifying amount of admiration when he leaned over Lorne's shoulder to see on what he was working on twenty minutes later. With most of his attention on their surroundings and any possible threats coming from it, Lorne didn't think it was his best effort.

He shrugged. "I'm a better painter, but a paint set is harder to carry."

"Yes," Parrish answered distractedly. "May I?" he asked, gesturing to the book.

Lorne hesitated. He wasn't embarrassed exactly, but no one had ever shown an interest in his work before, and he found himself slightly apprehensive as he passed over the sketchbook.

Parrish looked through his work while Lorne looked at Parrish. He liked the concentration and consideration Parrish gave to each page, studying them like he studied his plants. Parrish handed it back when he got back to the picture of _caesalpinia pulcherrima._

"You're very good," Parrish said sincerely. "I can sketch a little - it's helpful to have a visual cue to go with my notes when I'm doing research in the field - but I'm nowhere near as talented as you."

Lorne flushed a little with embarrassed pride. "Thanks, Doc. My mom was an art teacher."

Parrish laughed, a bright happy sound. "Your mom taught you art and you became a solider. My father taught me to hunt and I became a tree-hugger."

Lorne couldn't help it: he laughed too. It wasn't really that funny, but it was easier to laugh than to worry about their situation and what might happen when night came.

"Thanks, Doc, I needed that."

Parrish grinned that wide, face cracking smile again. "Anytime, Major."

"Lorne. You can call me Lorne," he offered. He had no idea why, but then he added "or Evan." No one outside of his family had called him anything except Lorne since his days in ROTC but it felt right to offer it up now.

"Oh," Parrish seemed surprised at the offer but pleased. "I'm David."

Lorne smiled and held out a hand formally. "Nice to meet you David."

Parrish - David - grinned and took the offered hand. "You too." He hesitated briefly, "Evan."

Lorne squeezed David's hand quickly before releasing it. He liked the way his name sounded in David's mouth, the way it fit there as well as their hands had fit together. Lorne let his eyes fall shut for a moment to push back feelings inappropriate to the place and time.

"If you want to keep sketching for awhile, I can take a watch," David offered.

Lorne opened one eye curiously to find Parrish holding Lorne's side arm, checking the safety on the weapon. "You know how to handle that thing?"

"My father was a hunter," Parrish reminded him mildly, "and I've had the standard training for all non-military personnel cleared for off-world travel."

Well, that was something. He'd be able to hit the broad side of a barn if necessary, but Lorne figured they really were as safe as they could be, and he'd hear danger long before Parrish had to defend them with his weapons proficiency training.

Twilight was falling when he next looked up from his sketchpad. He was pleased to note that Parrish was still awake and alert. He didn't notice Lorne stirring behind him so great was his concentration on their surroundings. That wasn't actually a good characteristic for someone on watch. Not being aware of your team was not being aware of your surroundings, but it was a rookie mistake and Parrish was a rookie after all - newer than that even since he'd never before been off-world in anything remotely approaching a combat situation.

"Major?" Parrish's survey of their surroundings drew his gaze to Lorne's. "Are you awake?"

"Evan," he reminded mildly. "And mostly."

"Everything okay?" Parrish's concern made Lorne smile but he shook his head.

"Yeah, I just need to take care of some business and we can head out for the gate."

Parrish nodded apprehensively and Lorne flashed him his most reassuring 'I'm in charge here' look and retreated to the relative privacy of the woods.

He was just zipping up when he realized he'd made an error - possibly a fatal one for both himself and David. He'd left his P-90 with David, lying on the ground next to his pack. A fact he became painfully aware of when the cold muzzle of a rifle made contact with the back of his neck.

"Don't move." Lorne didn't recognize the voice, but it didn't take a genius to guess that the Genii had found him. All he could hope for now was that they hadn't seen David and that Lorne could lead them away from the botanist.

"Now, let's go back to your friend and you can tell me where you came from." Lorne's heart sank as he realized his captor already knew about his companion. He'd obviously decided that Lorne was the bigger threat, and Lorne hoped that meant he hadn't seen the sidearm in David's possession.

"Listen, we don't want any trouble. My friend and I just want to go home. Leave us alone and we'll leave you alone." Lorne didn't really think reasoning would work. He was looking for a distraction, anything to buy him some time to act before David was in harm's way. But they were already breaking through the cover of the trees and he could see David, standing now and looking directly at them.

"Major, down!" Parrish shouted. Lorne dropped to the ground on instinct and heard three rapid gunshots over his head, the retort impossibly loud in his ears. The Genii behind him dropped like a stone and silence rushed in.

Lorne walked on his knees to the fallen man, checked his pulse and removed his weapon before standing and turning back to Parrish. David was staring - not at the Genii bleeding on the ground - but at the gun still clenched in his hand. Lorne knew he had to get him moving before shock set in. "Come on, Doc, we gotta go before his friends come to investigate the racket."

Parrish looked up at him blankly, and Lorne tentatively put a hand on his shoulder. "Doc? David?"

Parrish shook his head, visibly collected himself and nodded. "Let's go."

They quickly gathered their few belongings and moved out. Luck was with them this time and they didn't see anyone else until the rest of Lorne's team intercepted them a klick from the gate.


	5. Chapter 5

In the whirlwind that followed - the team surrounding them and shepherding them home, the trips to the infirmary, debriefing first with Sheppard and then with Weir - it was almost a full day before Lorne had a chance to track Parrish down in one of the lesser used greenhouses, pruning some roses.

Lorne didn't say anything, just sat down on the floor next to David - close enough to touch - and pulled out his sketchpad, letting Parrish know he was there, but not saying anything to disrupt his work. They worked in companionable silence for about half an hour before Parrish broke the silence. "It grounds me," Parrish said quietly. Lorne looked up from his drawing and saw that Parrish was smiling gently at the yellow blooms he was tending. "Working directly with the living plants reminds me of the big picture."

"That we're all going to be plant food someday?" Lorne asked, closing his pad and giving Parrish his undivided attention.

For just a moment, Parrish's face was lit with the happy smile Lorne hadn't even known he'd been missing, but it was gone too quickly. "That man..." Lorne knew what he was asking, but he waited until David got the whole question out. "Did I kill him?"

"No."

"No?" Parrish looked at him hopefully. "Really?"

"Really," Lorne promised. "As long as his friends found him, he should be fine."

"And if they didn't?"

Lorne shrugged. "Then he probably bled out."

Parrish considered that for a moment and then nodded his acceptance of that. "I'm glad I didn't kill him," he said. "but I don't regret shooting him."

That Lorne hadn't been expecting. "No?"

Parrish met his eyes and held them. "No. It was him or you, and I knew I couldn't..."

Instead of finishing the thought, Parrish leaned forward and gently pressed their lips together. Lorne barely had time to return the kiss before David was pulling away, blushing and embarrassed.

"Major, I'm..."

Lorne didn't let him finish that thought. He wrapped an arm around David's shoulders and pulled him in for another kiss. It was an awkward angle and Lorne knew they couldn't hold the position for too long, but he had to stop those words from coming from David's mouth - wasn't sure he could bear it if David intended to apologize for something he knew they both wanted.

"Evan?" Parrish whispered hesitantly when Lorne pulled back just enough to breathe, head resting against Parrish's shoulder, instinctively keeping contact so that Parrish didn't mistake his actions for impulse.

"David," Lorne hesitated, not sure if he really wanted to mess this up with by casting doubt onto Parrish's motives. But Lorne needed to be sure they were on the same page before this went any further - especially in light of recent professional developments. He sat up straighter to look into Parrish's face. "Was that kiss about me or about my brush with death?"

"You," David answered quickly. Lorne waited and Parrish, truthful to a fault, paused in thought. "Or maybe both? I'm not honestly sure." He sounded apologetic. "I'm not sure I would have kissed you today without the near death motivation, but I'm sure I would have wanted to." Parrish's eyes met his briefly and then fell to his lips as if mesmerized. "I want to again, in fact."

Lorne smiled and leaned in to oblige him. "Is that okay?" Parrish asked.

"Wanting to kiss me will never not be okay." Lorne was sincere about that. Lorne brushed their lips together again, feeling Parrish's lips form a smile against his own.

"That's not what I meant."

Lorne pulled back with a regretful sigh. "I know. And yes it's okay." He reached out a hand to cup David's cheek. "I just... It's a risk, being with you, and it's a sacrifice being with me. Do you think we're up to it?"

Parrish nodded against his hand. "I'd like to try. I'm pretty sure you're worth it."

"Oh, I know I am." Lorne grinned at him. David laughed, a quiet, happy sound and feigned annoyance. Evan liked that, that David could already see past his bravado and liked him anyway. Lorne continued, "I'm cute and funny and good with explosives."

"Maybe we could save the explosives for the second date?"

Lorne liked the sound of that. "I'm gonna hold you to that, Doc."

"I sincerely hope so, Major." Lorne didn't object to the title this time: he liked the way David's eyes sparkled when he said it.

"You'll probably be really good with explosives if the way you handle a gun is any indication." Lorne regretted saying it almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth. He'd just the gotten David smiling again, he hadn't intended to remind him about the events of yesterday.

But Parrish didn't seem bothered, he blushed. "Thanks, Major. I was alright."

"David, I mean it, that was exceptional shooting."

"Thanks. My father would be happy to hear you say it."

After a moment of silence Lorne asked, "You enjoy it? Hunting?"

Parrish shrugged. "I liked spending time with him. But I was more interested in the flora than the fauna."

"Early bloomer." Lorne observed mildly, "no pun intended."

"I guess. I'm glad of it now. It saved your life."

"I'm surprised you aren't already on a regular gate team." A smart civilian with good aim would be a nice edition to any team, as he'd pointed out to Colonel Sheppard at their debriefing. "Dr. Weir is going to give you an award for bravery."

David grimaced at the idea. "I'm not sure I deserve that."

"I am, and…" Lorne hesitated, unsure about the wisdom of the idea in light of the new twist their relationship had just taken. "And I've asked that you be added to my team as a permanent member. With your consent, of course."

Parrish gaped at him, speechless for long seconds before sputtering, "What? Me on your? Why?"

Lorne had made a whole list of reasons for Weir and Sheppard's benefit, and they were all perfectly good and valid reasons. But mostly, "I want someone I trust to watch my back. And I want someone I trust to watch Iyour/I back." Lorne winked at David. "And there's no one I trust more than me to watch your very valuable backside… I mean back."

Lorne got the full force of David's animated smile as he beamed at him. "Really?"

"Really. So what do you think?" Evan asked with a raised eyebrow.

David got up on his knees and practically climbed into Lorne's lap for another kiss. "I think my life is about to get a little more complicated. And a lot more fun."


End file.
